Finding Singapore in Granolas and Pizzas

11 January, 2016
at
17:01

By Sheere Ng

Eating pizzas and pastas in between plates of chicken rice and nasi lemak is part of a typical Singaporean diet. For some in Singapore, this mixed cultural diet has even become imaginations of a new national cuisine.

Nasi lemak granola, bak kut teh pulled pork salad and hebi hiam pizzas are amongst the foods created by young entrepreneurs over the last two years. Growing up eating food from their own heritage as well as cuisines from elsewhere has informed their own formulae for cooking: combining local flavours with international food ways

Granola was the first thing that came to mind when Chin Hui Wen wanted to produce food for sale. She instinctively gave this American snack a Singaporean twist as she was targeting the local market.

Her creations include a chicken rice granola made of chicken floss, grated ginger and sesame oil, and a nasi lemak rendition comprising of ikan bilis and desiccated coconut baked with oats. These are just some of the local-flavoured granolas she sells online and at weekend markets under the brand Eastern Granola.

'Hebi Hiam' Pizza.

Sometimes the cultural references stem from professional experiences. Marcus Seow and Teng Hui Bing spent many years managing pizza houses and an outlet of a local coffee chain respectively. When they joined forces in 2013, so did their menus. “How often do people drink coffee in a pizza café? Close to not,” says Teng. “But coffee is something people drink religiously, and pizza is something that people enjoy.”

Socks and Pans, which first opened at Golden Shoe Car Park, serves hae bi hiam and tofu pizzas with kopitiam-style coffee. They now operate at a food court in Junction 8, and will open another outlet at Tanjong Pagar in the coming month.

Locals are not the only ones who have new takes on Singaporean dishes. Akhil Prahbu combines his western culinary background with local sensibilities at Meat and Green, a wrap and salad shop that lists flavours like bak kut teh pulled pork and chilli crab. “This kind of wrap and salad generally leans toward the expatriate community, and I knew the locals usually prefer warm food. I want to make something accessible for both,” explains the chef and owner who moved to Singapore from Mumbai in 2008.

Both Singaporeans and expatriates welcome the re-imaginations, according to the entrepreneurs, but not without resistance at first.

As many of these foods are inspired by hawker fare, locals often find it hard to imagine them in other forms and are put off by the prices, which can be twice as much as what one pays at hawker centres. “People thought that it is outlandish. But once they eat it they are convinced,” says Prahbu.

Singapore’s hawker food was a marriage of its settlers’ homeland cooking. These re-imaginations are a hint of a new national cuisine that charts Singapore’s development into a cosmopolitan city. In this city, foreign culinary ideas are not the limits, but the inspirations.

SG50 is a nationwide effort to celebrate our country’s 50th birthday in 2015. That’s a huge milestone – 50 years of independence! This is a momentous event for Singaporeans to reflect on how far we’ve come together as a nation and people.

2.
How long will the SG50 celebrations last?

The SG50 celebrations will span over a year, from January to December 2015. But we’re not waiting till 2015 to get started.

3.
How can Singaporeans get involved with SG50?

This is our country, and our celebrations couldn’t be more meaningful if everyone got involved in a big way.

Find out what your fellow Singaporeans are planning and tell us how you can make it even more special.

4.
What does the SG50 committee do?

SG50 hopes to reach out to as many Singaporeans as possible. To head up our Steering Committee, we’ve invited individuals from a variety of fields in the public, people and private sectors. The SG50 Steering Committee is led by Minister for Education, Heng Swee Keat; while the Programme Office is led by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Lawrence Wong.

The Steering Committee is supported by five teams, which will encourage active community participation and involvement leading up to 2015. The five teams are:

You can submit your application anytime, at least two months before your project commences. Application for the Fund closes on 1 August 2015.

2.
How long can my project run for?

Projects must be completed by 31 December 2015.

3.
Who can apply for the SG50 Celebration Fund?

You can either apply as (i) Groups or (ii) Organisations. Under the Groups category, two individuals (aged 18 years and above) are required for the application. For local projects, at least one applicant must be a Singaporean. For overseas projects, both applicants must be Singaporeans.

Societies registered with the Registry of Societies (ROS) and companies registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) can apply under the Organisations category. Government Ministries, Departments, Organs of State and statutory boards will however, not be eligible to apply for the Fund.

4.
What are the types of projects that may be supported under the SG 50 Celebration Fund?

SG50 Celebration Fund aims to support projects that:

a) Inspire a sense of belonging to Singapore;
b) Build on our national identity and love for Singapore;
c) Excite our community about celebrating Singapore's 50th anniversary; and
d) Encourage Singaporeans to bond as a people and community.

5.
What kind of projects cannot be supported?

The SG50 Celebration Fund does not support projects that:

• Contain commercial or profit-making elements;
• Create misunderstanding in our multi-cultural and multi-religious society;
• Are religious or political activities;
• Advocate for lifestyles, or have content held as objectionable by the general public; and
• Undermine the authority of any government or public institution.

6.
What expenses are covered under the SG50 Celebration Fund?

Items that typically qualify for funding include event management, production, publicity, and marketing costs directly related to the project. Manpower costs claimed by the applicant will be capped at up to 25% of the grant amount. Manpower costs refer to expenditure incurred for services rendered by applicants or through engaging vendors that the applicant has a direct interest in.

7.
Can my project receive the SG50 Celebration Fund in addition to grant(s) from other government agencies?

Our funding assessment will take into consideration grants that your project receives from other government agencies.

8.
Can we submit more than one project for funding?

Applicants can submit up to 2 projects for funding. However applicants intending to submit 2 projects should complete their first approved project successfully before submitting the application for the second project.

9.
How can I submit my application form?

You may apply online through https://www.singapore50.sg/sg50/Apply%20For%20Funding.aspx

10.
How are the applications processed and how long does it take to know the results?

After we acknowledge receipt of your application, one of our team members will connect with you within a week and subsequently follow up with you to understand more about your project and to facilitate the evaluation of your project.

11.
Who will assess applications for the SG50 Celebration Fund?

Applications will be assessed by an evaluation panel comprising community and industry experts. The panel’s decision is final, and it has the right not to disclose reasons for approving or rejecting your application.

12.
When will I know if my application is successful?

You can expect to be notified of the final decision in about two months from your application date and our team will be in regular contact with you during this period. As the whole process involves discussion and seeking clarification with applicants for a fair assessment of their proposal, there could be instance where there is more time needed and this would be communicated to the applicants.

If your application is successful, you will be required to sign a Form of Agreement with the Government.

13.
If my project is approved, how will I receive the funding under the SG50 Celebration Fund?

If your project is approved, you can receive up to 20% of approved funding amount after signing the Form of Agreement. Upon successful completion of your project, the remaining 80% of the approved funding amount will be reimbursed.

14.
If my overseas project is approved, how will I receive the funding under the SG50 Celebration Fund?

The approved funding will be reimbursed to you after the successful completion of your project. This reimbursement arrangement is similar to other grants for overseas projects such as the Overseas Singaporean Funding Programme.

15.
What documents need to be submitted for reimbursement claims and by when do I need to submit them?

You are required to maintain proper financial records and submit a project completion report, an income and expenditure statement and reimbursement claims within three months after your project’s completion.

16.
Are we allowed to make changes to the project in the course of implementation?

You need to seek the agreement of the SG50 Celebration Fund team if there are changes, postponement and/or cancellation of your project.

17.
How can I show that my project is part of the SG50 celebrations?

All funded projects will bear the SG50 branding/logo in all your publicity materials. The SG50 Celebration Fund team will advise you on the use of the logo.

LET'S TRY TO KEEP THINGS LIGHT AND LIVELY, SHALL WE?

Birthdays are happy occasions, especially for one as big as SG50, and we would hate for anyone to feel unhappy.

That's why we want to create a comfortable environment for you and the rest of Singapore to engage in discussion. The first rule of thumb would be to avoid creating misunderstanding or conflict, when posting or commenting within the SG50 site.

That means you should not use the site to advocate any politics, or demean others based on race and religion. The site also should not be used as a platform to launch personal attacks, threats, insults, advertisements or derogatory remarks. And it goes without saying, that vulgarities are not allowed.

Any posts or comments that are deemed insensitive, irrelevant or inappropriate will be removed without prior notice. Please note that discussions on the SG50 site reflect the views of the participants, and not the opinion of the SG50 Programme Office.